Abstract
BackgroundTribenuron-methyl is a registered herbicide for broad-leaf weed control in wheat, however, low solubility in water and reacting with hard water's ions could substantially decrease its efficacy. The present work aimed to enhance the dispersing and bioactivity of this herbicide by developing nanoparticles using zein as a promising nano-delivery system and to assess the effects of nanoparticles on the efficacy of tribenuron-methyl in the suppression of Convolvulus arvensis as a problematic weed in wheat fields.ResultsBased on SEM analyses nanoparticles sizes were 80–120 nm. DLS results showed an average size of 170 nm for tribenuron-methyl zein-based nanoparticles (TMZNP-5). The entrapment efficiency (EE%) of tribenuron-methyl inside the zein nanoparticles was ca. 81% ± 3. Five-week after application of tribenuron-methyl nanoparticles on C. arvensis, it was able to reduce the dry weight (53%), acetolactate synthase (ALS) enzyme activity (82%), and plant height (77%) of C. arvensis as compared with untreated plants. Additionally, tribenuron-methyl used in nanoparticles at the half rate of the recommended dose had the same efficacy as commercial tribenuron-methyl.ConclusionBased on these results, zein nanoparticles can be potentially utilized as nanocarriers for enhancing the solubility of tribenuron-methyl to further enhance its bioavailability and performance on sensitive weeds.Graphic abstract
Highlights
Tribenuron-methyl is a registered herbicide for broad-leaf weed control in wheat, low solubility in water and reacting with hard water’s ions could substantially decrease its efficacy
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results showed an average size of 170 nm for Tribenuron-methyl-based zein nanoparticle (TMZNP)-5 (Fig. 1)
While for TMZNP-5, the main weight loss with Tmax = 332 °C same as the neat zein is observed indicating that the nature of zein had not been changed during the process of nanoparticles preparation
Summary
Tribenuron-methyl is a registered herbicide for broad-leaf weed control in wheat, low solubility in water and reacting with hard water’s ions could substantially decrease its efficacy. The present work aimed to enhance the dispersing and bioactivity of this herbicide by developing nanoparticles using zein as a promising nanodelivery system and to assess the effects of nanoparticles on the efficacy of tribenuron-methyl in the suppression of Convolvulus arvensis as a problematic weed in wheat fields. Results: Based on SEM analyses nanoparticles sizes were 80–120 nm. DLS results showed an average size of 170 nm for tribenuron-methyl zein-based nanoparticles (TMZNP-5). Conclusion: Based on these results, zein nanoparticles can be potentially utilized as nanocarriers for enhancing the solubility of tribenuron-methyl to further enhance its bioavailability and performance on sensitive weeds. Herbicides play role in the productivity and safety of food production by cost-effectiveness, and reduction of labor costs, as well as saving on land preparation [4]
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